The serious knee sprain that knocked receiver and return specialist Tom Kennedy out of the Detroit Lions’ 45-21 victory over Arizona will require surgery, Dan Campbell revealed Monday, Oct. 12.
“It was significant enough where he’ll be out for the season,” the Lions coach said. “That’s the stinker right there.”
After fielding a punt early in Sunday's second quarter, Kennedy ran 11 yards upfield before Simi Fehoko and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson wrangled him to the turf. During the tackle, Kennedy’s right leg was awkwardly bent backwards. He didn’t play another snap. Star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown then took his spot as the primary punt returner. Khalil Dorsey stepped in for Kennedy on kickoffs, lining up in a deep position alongside Jacob Saylors.
Over the remainder of the game, St. Brown handled three punts, returning two for 36 yards.
“I would rather not have St. Brown back there for a whole game,” Campbell said. “He’ll probably have some, depending on where we’re at on the field. But I don’t want him to be our full-time punt returner.”
Campbell said the Lions are considering some in-house candidates, including practice squad receiver Dominic Lovett, to fill the void left by Kennedy. General manager Brad Holmes and his scouting staff have also begun searching for potential external options, according to Campbell.
“Luckily, we’re not crunched to have to do anything just yet,” he said.
That’s because the Lions have a bye this week.
Kennedy, who is the longest-tenured player in the organization, was signed to the active roster three days before the team’s opener against New Orleans last month. Up until that point, it was unclear who would serve as the team’s main punt returner following the release of veteran receiver Greg Dortch, a free-agent signee during the offseason, at the end of the preseason. (Dortch later signed with the Buffalo Bills.)
Kennedy handled every punt this season until his injury. He had seven fair catches and netted 79 yards on six returns. He also averaged 24.8 yards on the nine kickoffs he ran back.
LB Devin White expected to be back this season
Campbell said linebacker Devin White, who broke his forearm in the first quarter Sunday, will undergo surgery but is expected to return this season.
“We’ll get him back at some point,” he said. “It’ll just be a while.”
White appeared to injure himself when he collided with safety Chuck Clark while trying to stop a run by Jeremiah Love. White, who was inactive the previous two weeks, has logged 67 snaps and produced 10 tackles.
Plan for Cade Mays still unknown
Last week, Cade Mays — the Lions’ top free-agent acquisition of the offseason — returned to practice for the first time since breaking his wrist during training camp in August. But Mays remains on injured reserve, and the team has yet to determine the plan for him, Campbell said. Mays' 21-day practice window opened Oct. 7.
“We’ve got to see exactly where he’s at,” Campbell explained. “He’s going to continue to train here and then we’ve got to make a decision on how do we work this. That’s what’s a little unique. He plays center. It’s not like you’re rotating a guard. How do we handle this? What’s the best way? Can he go 70 reps? There’s a lot of factors that go into it now.”
Since the start of the season, Juice Scruggs has delivered every snap to quarterback Jared Goff. He has fared well while doing so, earning the second-best grade among all players at his position, according to Pro Football Focus. With a matchup against Green Bay awaiting the Lions on Oct. 25, after the bye, it appears Campbell wants to further evaluate the situation at center before thrusting Mays back into the starting lineup.
“We got basically two days of half-practices with him,” Campbell said. “So, let’s see what it looks like next week.”
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tom Kennedy injury update as knee sprain KOs Lions WR for season
